Port Hathor
Sitting at the mouth of the Summervine river where it empties into the ocean lies Port Hathor. Home to the largest port in Aldir, Port Hathor has grown exponentially on the wealth of trade its position has afforded it. The official town of Hathor is actually older than Amaranthine, at least on official Aldiran documents. But the foundation of Port Hathor is actually built on the foundations of the ancient elven city of Q'enochtulan.
Demographics
- 50% Human
- 45% Elf
- 5% Everything Else
Government
Port Hathor holds a really interesting position in the structural heirarchy of Aldir. About 50 years ago they pushed a request past the Aldiran king to essentially secede from from Kingdom of Aldir due to their own political influence in the region. They petitioned to become their own city state. The request was firmly declined, but Port Hathor refused to recognize the authority of the king at that point and closed off their walls and the port to the Kingdom.
It was not a smart move
The aspirations for Port Hathor to become their own city state were misguided to say the least. While they did hold perhaps the highest political sway aside from Amaranthine, they still relied too heavily on the Kingdom's economy as a whole. So when the armies of Aldir surrounded the city and cut off their supply chain, and the King offered massive incentives for imports to be rerouted through Gresha, Port Hathor's economy collapsed almost overnight.
Still, stubborn as they were, Port Hathor refused to give in or open up the gates unless they got something out of the deal and so a bargain was struck. The result was that the Ruling Lord over the region lost control of the city itself, and the city, while still and part of the Kingdom (and therefore pays taxes and supplies able bodies to the army and all of that stuff), they would be governed by a council of elders selected by the residents of the town and this council would report directly to the Lord Seneschal in Amranthine.
It was not a smart move
The aspirations for Port Hathor to become their own city state were misguided to say the least. While they did hold perhaps the highest political sway aside from Amaranthine, they still relied too heavily on the Kingdom's economy as a whole. So when the armies of Aldir surrounded the city and cut off their supply chain, and the King offered massive incentives for imports to be rerouted through Gresha, Port Hathor's economy collapsed almost overnight.
Still, stubborn as they were, Port Hathor refused to give in or open up the gates unless they got something out of the deal and so a bargain was struck. The result was that the Ruling Lord over the region lost control of the city itself, and the city, while still and part of the Kingdom (and therefore pays taxes and supplies able bodies to the army and all of that stuff), they would be governed by a council of elders selected by the residents of the town and this council would report directly to the Lord Seneschal in Amranthine.
Defences
Aside from the Twins' Gate, the city does have a small stone wall that provides some defense, in addition to a small civil militia contracted through The Blue Suns. The current captain of the Hathor Flare is a dragonborn male named Gheroth Lammed.
Industry & Trade
Port Hathor has three main forms of income. First and foremost among all of them is the port itself. A common joke among sailors is that it costs a ship owner more to leave Port Hathor than it does to arrive. The funniest bit of that joke is that it is not far from the truth. In fact upon arriving ship owners only have to pay a small docking fee as well as a storage charge based on the tonnage of their cargo. However, before disembarking from the settlement there are several other taxes, fees and overheads that the ship owner must pay. In point of fact, depending on the time of year, size of the ship and several other factors, it could cost a ship owner up to three times what it cost them to arrive in the city in order to leave it. Its a rare occasion that it would cost that much, the stars having to align just right for it to happen, but it could happen and has before. The Port authority can get away with it though because goods brought in through Port Hathor can fetch (again depending on how the stars align) up to ten times what they could acquire for the same cargo being shipped through Gresha or any of the smaller ports in Aldir. Most ship owners simply consider all of the fees to disembark from the city to be the cost of doing business and the profits almost always justify the expense.
Infrastructure
When it comes to infrastructure of the area, there is really only one thing that stands out...and I mean that literally. The Twins' Gate, contructed by the ancient Elves of Q'enochtulan, can actually be seen for miles before one can see the city when approaching from both the sea or the land. The gate is a ten story tall sculpture of the Dragon Twins Hunakhu and Cabrakan. The massive structures depict the Twins facing each other with bows drawn and arrows crossed, their feet standing on either side of the harbor. When the port needs to be closed, ancient spells weaved into the marble of the statues can be activated and massive, spectral chains descend from the Twins' arms, bows and arrows down into the water in a curtain that can stop even the most sturdy of vessels from pushing through. The spells laid into the gates also create a magical ward around the city protecting it from intrusion by land and air. The protection spells themselves are activated being shouted under the water of the harbor. This code word is passed down from Chief Elder to Chief Elder on the council.
Assets
Port Hathor is one of the largest trading ports in North Equikora and by a large margin the largest in Aldir. As such it has a large amount of warehouses of various size and at any give time (assuming the king has rerouted trade in the region), they have enough commodities on hand that the entire population of the town could survive for almost a year.
In addition to that, as the sea and the shipping lanes are their livelihood, Port Hathor has invested large sums of their annual income into the Port of Hathor (yeah, they weren't very creative on that one). The Port itself consists of over 100 piers and enough docks to handle four times that number of vessels ranging in size from the Land Bridgers' fully rigged tall ships to the quick and narrow Buwanese Junks. The Port of Hathor also boasts a 24 hour shipwright service. The town hosts a large number of ship builders and one can find repairs for the vessel at an affordable price, any hour of the day within a short distance of the harbor. While the shipwrights themselves are private operators, they all rotate about six at a time being closed during the day and open during the night with the city council compensating 60% their losses for being open during regular business hours. While its not a pleasant situation, it is only a month at a time and there are enough shipwrights in the town that its usually only one month a year that they have to commit to this.
In addition to that, as the sea and the shipping lanes are their livelihood, Port Hathor has invested large sums of their annual income into the Port of Hathor (yeah, they weren't very creative on that one). The Port itself consists of over 100 piers and enough docks to handle four times that number of vessels ranging in size from the Land Bridgers' fully rigged tall ships to the quick and narrow Buwanese Junks. The Port of Hathor also boasts a 24 hour shipwright service. The town hosts a large number of ship builders and one can find repairs for the vessel at an affordable price, any hour of the day within a short distance of the harbor. While the shipwrights themselves are private operators, they all rotate about six at a time being closed during the day and open during the night with the city council compensating 60% their losses for being open during regular business hours. While its not a pleasant situation, it is only a month at a time and there are enough shipwrights in the town that its usually only one month a year that they have to commit to this.
Guilds and Factions
The Port Authority
A quasi governmental body, the Port Authority was established about ten years ago by the previous Chief Elder Yanme. They have the utmost authority over...well...the port. They ar ethe ones who set all the taxes and fees for docking and leaving the port as well as they manage the security of the port itself. In theory, they operate with the oversight of the Town Council, however rumors have always been in plenty that the Port Authority secretly is using its influence and money to control the Council of Elders themselves.The Shipping Guild
The Shipping Guild is a Workers Union for the various men and women that work in and around the port. This includes the shipwrights (and in fact it was the guild that brokered the after hours deal with the Council detailed above), but it aslo includes the dockworkers that help unload cargo, the inspections officers that ensure cargo is being transferred legally and every other position working in the port. Every employee of the port is required to be a part of the guild, and they pay a small yearly fee of ten gold that they can pay all at once or monthly (with a small processing fee of 2 silver a month). For that price they are assured fair and competitive wages, legal representation when necessary as well as ample workers benefits.It goes without saying that the Guild is constantly at odds with the Port Authority who would like nothing more than to pay the port employees next to nothing to maximize profits at the expense of said employees.
The Council of Elders
The ruling governmental body of Port Hathor, currently lead by Chief Elder Cochrahn, an elder elf of nearly 500 years old. He has held the position for nearly 15 years and is coming to the end of his second term. The Council of Elders is a body made up of twelve Elders elected every eight years. Although referred to as Elders anyone over the age of twenty can campaign to become a village elder, and each elder serves for a maximum of two eight year terms. Laws are passed by the elders and requires a 3 fourths minimum vote to pass. Any member of the Council can put forward a vote, and the townspeople can put forward a vote as well so long as they can get the proposed law written and notarized by any member of the council and signed by at least 100 other citizens of Port Hathor. Since the Council will be voting on the proposed law or policy, it behooves the group of townsfolk putting forward the proposed law or policy to get it notarized by an Elder who agrees with their point of view.Architecture
As mentioned above, the architecture of Port Hathor is typical of Aldir. Rows of rectangular limestone buildings line the streets of the newer districts where the older parts of town feature low, one story houses of clay and wood with thatch or tiled rooftops. The most unique aspect of Port Hathor's architecture is the marble remains of the ancient elven city of Q'enochtulan. Several of the buildings in the town have been built on foundations of thee marble ruins and a handful of the more important buildings in the town have been constructed entirely out of the marble mined from the ruins themselves. While walking down the street it is not uncommon for a person to come across an old wall, ruined building or buried rubble of the old city. These ruins are more prevalent in the older sections of Port Hathor closer to the water, and become more rare the further one gets from the harbor.
Geography
Port Hathor is located right on the mouth of the Summervice river, where it connects with the Saukasi Sea in a deep water harbor known as Lanival Harbor (it being first discovered by an Edanian explorer named Lanival, although the original elf inhabitants probably had a different name for it.) The Town is located in two separate parts, the first is Old Town down by the harbor itself. This is where most of the laborers of the town live, close to their livelihood. New town is located on the cliff side situated behind Old Town, where much of the newer establishments and such are located. This same cliff face forms most of the coast line in this region and wraps around the harbor itself to form a natural barrier that is connected by the Twins' Gate.
Natural Resources
Settled on the coastline of Aldir and the banks of the Summervine river, Port Hathor has all of the natural resources provided by the Saukasi Sea and the geothermic properties of the River Valley. On top of those resources they have a substantial source of marble quarried from the ruins of Q'enochtulan.
Alternative Name(s)
Q'enochtulan
Type
Large town
Population
10,000
Location under
Owner/Ruler
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
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